subtlety
/ˈsʌt(ə)lti/noun
subtlety is spelled S-U-B-T-L-E-T-Y: 8 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 1.2 times per million words in written English, the 25,751st most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, subtlety means “The quality of being scarcely noticeable or difficult to discern. (of things)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of subtlety is subtleties.
How many letters and syllables are in subtlety?
| Letters | 8: S-U-B-T-L-E-T-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.2 times per million words; the 25,751st most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is subtlety?
Subtlety appears 1.2 times per million words in written English, the 25,751st most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce subtlety?
- US /ˈsʌt(ə)lti/
- Australia /ˈsɐt(ə)lti/
Subtlety has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-subtlety.ogg, En-au-subtlety.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of subtlety
- subtleties plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does subtlety mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The quality of being scarcely noticeable or difficult to discern. (of things)
the subtlety of the Mona Lisa’s smile
- 2
The quality of being done in a clever way that is not obvious or not direct; the quality of being carefully thought out. (of things)
the subtlety of a writer’s analysis / of a singer’s phrasing
- 3
The quality of being able to achieve one's aims through clever, delicate or indirect methods. (of people)
With all his usual subtlety, he quietly fixed the problem before anyone else noticed it.
- 4
The quality of being able to notice or understand things that are not obvious. (of people)
- 5
An instance of being subtle, a subtle thing, especially a subtle argument or distinction.
The subtleties of this overture are often overlooked.
- 6
An ornate medieval illusion dish or table decoration, especially when made from one thing but crafted to look like another.
At the king's coronation feast, several subtleties were served between main courses.
- 7
archaicThe quality of being clever in surreptitious or deceitful behaviour; an act or argument that shows this quality.
- 8
obsoleteA trick that creates a false appearance.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Subtlety in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | subtilité , entremets |
| German | Geschicklichkeit, Feinheit, Feinsinn, Feinsinnigkeit, Raffinesse, Raffiniertheit |
| Portuguese | sutileza, subtileza |
| Spanish | sutileza, sutilidad |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does subtlety come from?
From Middle English sotilte, from Old French sutilté, inherited from Latin subtīlitās, from subtīlis (“subtle”). Equivalent to subtle + -ty. Doublet of subtility.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).